Popular group JYJ member Kim Junsu held his first solo concert on the 20th of this month at Jamsil Stadium. One fan commented with irritation, “The fact that an artist such as him with such amazing skill and talent is prevented from appearing on broadcast stations is really saddening,” as well as “Just how long will they have such unfair restraints put against them? We have no idea.”

A middle-aged female fan from Yangcheon commented “As a Hallyu Star representative, Junsu has released an album and has started many activities. Does it make any sense at all that we cannot see any news of his activities on broadcast stations?” Furthermore, “We hope that not only Kim Junsu but all JYJ members will be able to showcase their music to the public through broadcast stations as soon as possible.”

Recently, due to a tight deadlock from broadcast stations, JYJ’s inability to appear on music broadcast programs is causing a rise in fans’ resentment. Such resentment rose much more significantly after Kim Junsu’s concert.

On online community boards, fans wrote “Whether it’s because of their skill, their overall presence or their title as South Korea’s best singers, JYJ members are not able to be seen on music broadcast programs” stating that “It is a complete loss to the entire music industry of South Korea.”

As expected, during Kim Junsu’s interview with reporters for his solo album release, Junsu said, “More than anything the most distressing issue was that this album was created under the assumption that I would not be able to perform on various broadcast programs. It is as if it is now a situation where I can only use my own strength/force.”

JYJ had appeared on music broadcasting before, yet their lack of appearance is now protracted due to the boycott by music broadcasting stations. The three members of JYJ filed an injunction to suspend the validity of their contracts and the court has consistently ruled in favor of the members. The court deemed that JYJ had the freedom to appear on music broadcast stations. However, due to the strong hegemony of power within the entertainment and broadcasting sphere, it is as if the court had no say over the matter.

It cannot be forgotten that despite all this JYJ has been able to consistently spread their fanbase across the world. The members have reached out to different fields of entertainment such as musicals and dramas. This has clearly made their presence stronger as a whole.

As of a few days ago, Kim Junsu’s MV for his title song “Tarantallegra” recently hit a record of 3,000,000+ views. He also topped Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber in Japan on iTunes rankings. Furthermore, presales for his album broke the 100,000 mark. This clearly demonstrated his immense popularity despite not being able to appear on music broadcasts.

Reasons for disallowing JYJ to perform on TV are weak and unpersuasive. Preventing JYJ from appearing on broadcast stations is a loss for the country and in fact is quite an embarrassment. Broadcast stations would do well to remember that in the future, when looking back at this point in time, there will forever be a “stain” on history/in our memories.

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